A weekend at the beach
by meliecom
Summary: "Sam wanted to be the one walking on the beach with Andy… But he had to live with his choices and his actions. He had been the one to tell Callaghan to go back to her, the one to tell her that it was what it was. If she wanted to be with the detective, it broke his heart, but he just wanted her to be happy…" Set after 1x10, 15th division spends a weekend at the beach for a wedding.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello everyone! It's been a looooong time! Life is crazy as always, and I didn't have a lot of inspiration to write… I finally got some vacation time a couple of weeks ago, and I REALLY wanted to write! I guess I was inspired by my week at the beach!**_

 _ **This takes place after Big Nickel in season 1. I won't tell you more and just let you read it!**_

* * *

Traci was right, Andy thought to herself as she gazed mindlessly through the passenger window of the car. The landscape here was really beautiful. They were approaching the coast of Maine, and the ocean was starting to appear through the tree line.

The young woman looked at the car clock, it was almost 7pm, and they had been in the car since 8am the same morning. It was Boyko's wedding - well second wedding actually - that had brought them here. As officer of his old division, they had all gotten invitations, and Andy had to say that a weekend at the beach was definitely something she needed right about now.

It was true though that she would've liked it better if that weekend hadn't required a 10h drive, but Boyko's future wife had grown up there, and all of her family was still living there. Traci had been the one to suggest driving there instead of flying like a lot of them did. After her last roadtrip though, Andy had been a little reluctant. But it was true that a prisoner transfer and a roadtrip with her best friend were two totally different things.

Oliver and Sam had also driven there, while Jerry was supposed to meet them there since he had to work today, just as Luke who had told Andy that he would try to get there the next morning. He had been working on a big case and couldn't take the day off to drive there.

After everything that had happened with Sam, her relationship with Luke was still a little bumpy. To be completely honest with herself, she didn't know if giving them another chance was a good idea, but after all, Luke was the good guy, right? Wasn't he supposed to be anyway?

"Have you ever been here?" Traci asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts, which she was glad to be distracted from.

"Not here here, but I went to Old Orchard beach with my dad when I was 16." She told her, turning her head to the left, looking at her best friend who was sitting next to her.

"Oh, that must've been fun!" Her friend told her on a sarcastic tone, just knowing that 16 year old Andy probably despised it at that time.

The young women in question scoffed. Yeah, it hadn't really been the trip of her life.

"It was okay." Andy started. "Well, as okay as a 16 year old spending a whole week with her dad can be." She continued.

Her drunk dad, Andy added for herself. The trip in itself hadn't been that bad, even though most of what Andy remembered were the long walks on the beach at night, by herself, as she tried to escape the drunkenness of her father. It hadn't been a really good period of his life though, but it still didn't make excuses for his behavior.

She remembered walking on the beach, under the moonlight, just wishing for someone to hold her hand. Andy had always been a romantic at heart, but none of the guys she previously dated had been the "walk on the beach" type. Now though, she was dating that type of guy, but he wasn't even there to do it with her.

She sighed, knowing perfectly well that the chances of Luke showing up here tomorrow morning were next to nonexistent. She should've known better after all this time together, but as sick as she was of it, she still wished he would be there.

For the first time in her life, she had actually chosen the better guy. She had taken the security and stability of the detective over the more intense and passionate emotions she felt towards her TO, but now she was starting to wonder if it was the right decision after all.

"We should be there in 5 minutes." Traci said, pulling her out of her thoughts one more time.

"Great, I really need to stretch my legs." Andy said, trying to stretch her arms as best as she could as Traci took a right on a small gravel road.

Their ex staff sergeant had rented a small inn, just about 10 rooms, so that the people of 15th could stay near the reception. The ceremony would take place in a small church, just a few minutes from there.

Traci finally pulled over to a big house that was sitting right in front of the ocean, and Andy quickly got out of the car. Taking a deep breath, she smiled, smelling the ocean before she could even see it.

The air was full of this typical ocean smell, a mixture of salt, seaweed and fish. It smelled like vacation and relaxation. Andy closed her eyes and breathed in the spicy smell that was almost burning her nostrils.

Traci was already walking around the house to see the view and Andy ran a little to catch up with her.

"It is so beautiful." Andy said when she was standing closer to her friend.

Traci nodded, her eyes still fixed on the beautiful landscape. A small portion of the beach was reaching all the way to the grass yard, and the waves were slowly caressing the sand in a rhythmic motion. At their left, all the way at the end of the land, was a lighthouse, standing proudly on the edge of the cliff **,** making sure that the boat wouldn't hit the numerous rocks that were sticking out of the water.

It was the end of September, but the weather there was still beautiful, even if you could feel the chill in the air. On their way here they had heard some talk about an "Indian summer" and that's definitely how it felt like.

The sound of a car pulling in the driveway distracted the girls from their observation, and the two friends walked back to see Sam and Oliver getting out of the truck.

"And I thought you told us that you weren't gonna wait for us?" Traci joked, laughing a little as Sam took a few steps towards her.

"Well, if Oliver hadn't driven slower than my grandma, we would've been here way before." He said as Oliver raised his hands.

"Hey I've seen how your grandma drives, brother, and believe me you'd rather have me driving than her." He said, giving him a friendly pat on the back before going to give a small hug to the two woman in front of him.

"How was the road?" Andy asked Sam as he was pulling the luggage out of the truck.

"Oliver talks more than you McNallly, and believe me that is _not_ a good thing." He said, emphasizing on the 'not', but still smiling, his eyes sparkling a little.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile back at him.

"I'm sure I'm more interesting too." She teased him as she made her way to Traci's car.

"Yeah, well at least with him I didn't end up strolling through the woods." He continued on the same teasing tone she had used.

Andy waved her hand towards him, denying any implication of their last roadtrip together, which had not even been a week prior.

"Hey Sammy." Oliver called. "Want me to put this in our room?" He asked, holding both of their luggage in his hands.

"What do you mean our room?" Sam asked with a suspecting look.

"Boyko didn't tell you? There weren't any single rooms available, so we're sharing a room!" Oliver told him with a grin as he saw Sam's smile drop. "Don't worry there's two beds." He added with a wink after seeing Sam's face.

"No he didn't tell me. He knew I would never have agreed to sleep in the same room as you! You snore like a bear! Two beds won't change that." Sam said, half laughing, half disbelieving.

"Not like a bear." Oliver replied, and then paused, thinking before he spoke again. "Okay maybe like a small bear. Like… a bear cub! But you know you love it!" He said smiling before he made his way inside the inn.

Laughing under her breath, she gave a look at Sam's helplessgaze. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged as Sam lifted his eyes to the sky, sighing.

Andy gathered her own bag and made her way to her room. Traci and her had been lucky enough to have their own rooms since she was with Luke and Traci with Jerry.

The young woman turned the key she had gotten at the front desk in the lock, and entered the room that had been given to her. She put her bag near her bed and got her phone out of her pocket, walking to the window.

She had one of the ocean view rooms and she smiled at the beautiful landscape in front of her.

Pressing #3 on her speed dial, she got the phone up to her ear. Just as she thought it would, it went straight to voicemail, and she sighed softly as his voice told her to leave a message.

"Hey Luke, it's me. We've just arrived here. It is so beautiful, I can't wait for you to see it. Call me back when you can." She said before hanging up, placing her phone back in her pocket.

Looking at the ocean one last time, she turned to her bed and got a few things out of her bag so that they didn't get wrinkled.

She had been sitting near the window for 5 minutes when someone knocked at the door.

"It's open." She said to the person at the door.

Traci slid her head through the open door and smiled. "Dinner's waiting." She told her.

"I'm coming." Andy said as she got up and went to the door.

They made their way down the stairs and to the dining room where everyone was already seated. The only one who wasn't there, aside from Luke, was Jerry. His plane was supposed to land in Boston right about now, so it wouldn't be long before he arrived.

Dinner went nicely. Andy was sitting between Sam and Traci, and she had to say that she had a lot of fun. Everything had gone back to normal with Sam after their prisoner transport and she was very grateful for that. Not talking to Sam had been the thing that made her regret the most what happened with him the night of the blackout and had made her realize just how important he was to her.

Sitting here now, between her best friend and her TO, listening as Oliver told one of his stories, it made her feel like she had finally found her place in the world.

"Wanna go walk on the beach?" Traci asked her as everyone was getting ready to go back to their rooms.

"Yeah, sure! It's a beautiful evening." Andy answered, getting up from her chair. "I'll just grab my sweater." She said, going towards her room.

She quickly got up the stairs and grabbed the piece of clothing before she made her way back down the stairs, running into Sam.

"Romantic evening on the beach, McNally?" He asked her with a smile.

"Just a walk with Traci, Luke's not supposed to get here before tomorrow." She told him as he nodded understandingly.

"Well have fun!" He simply said.

"Thanks, I will. Oh and Sam, I'm glad everything's back to normal between us." She told him with a genuine smile.

He smiled back at her and nodded in acknowledgment, waiting until she was all the way down the corridor before he made his way up with a sad smile on his face.

Yes, he was happy that they were friends again, but he couldn't help but miss the way she had looked at him and touched him that night. Sighing, he closed the door to the room Oliver and him were sharing, walking to the window. It was a beautiful night, and as he looked at the two friends walking down the beach, he couldn't help but being a little jealous of Traci.

He wanted to be the one walking on the beach with Andy… But he had to live with his choices and his actions. He had been the one to tell Callaghan to go back to her, the one to tell her that it was what it was. If she wanted to be with the detective, it broke his heart, but he just wanted her to be happy…

* * *

 _ **I hope you liked this first chapter! I don't have to go back to work or school until the end of August, so hopefully I'll be able to update pretty quickly if you want me to! :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello everyone! Here is the second chapter of this story. See, it didn't take me long to post it! It would've actually taken less time, but I wanted some English person to read it to correct my French induced mistakes, and I didn't find one… Ugh. So it's not proofread, which I HATE but I hope it's not too bad…**_

 _ **Anyway, hope you like this second chapter!**_

* * *

The waves were slowly caressing her feet as the young woman looked at the ocean with a small smile.

"I told you it was worth it to come here, right?" Traci asked Andy, the sound of the waves half covering her voice.

"Yes you did! It's just been a big week you know? And with everything that happened with Sam… And Luke!" She added, looking at her friend.

"I know. Speaking of Luke, did he call you, yet?" Traci asked, starting to walk again along the shore.

Andy shook her head. "No, not yet… I don't think he will come Trace." She said, looking at the soft waves rolling on the sand. "Honestly, I don't even know why I wanted to give us a second chance." She said in a voice so low that the waves almost covered it.

"Still fantasizing on that TO of yours, I see?" Her friend told her, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Trace! That's not the point!" Andy quickly replied with an incredulous look. "Although at least he's here. I can't fantasize on Luke, I barely ever see him." She added, raising her hands in the air, annoyed.

"I know." Traci said, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder for a couple of seconds. "You know no one's forcing you to be with Luke." She continued.

"Yeah, well I can't really be with him if he's not there right?" She asked, getting her phone out of her pocket to see if he had called her. The screen was still just displaying the time. No missed calls.

Traci was opening her mouth to speak again when someone called her name. The two friends turned around to see Jerry coming their way.

"I should leave you two alone." Andy said as he got closer.

"Okay." Her friend told her before adding: "But remember Andy, just go with your heart."

"Not sure it's the best idea since the last time I did that it got me in trouble, but thanks!" She said with a small laugh before going back to the inn, leaving Traci with Jerry.

Andy was just entering her room when her phone rang. The caller ID said Luke Callaghan and she answered quickly.

"Hey Luke, how did the job go?" She asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"Hey, yeah not too good actually. Andy, I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it." He said on the other end of the line.

"Oh… Okay, I guess I saw that coming." She said in a disappointed tone, sitting down on the chair by the window.

"What does that mean?" He asked, a little bit on edge.

"It means that you're never there anyway so…" She simply stated, breathing in deeply to keep her voice steady.

"Yeah, well, I wish I was there. I don't like you being in the same inn as Swarek, especially after what he did on the night of the blackout." The detective told her, jealousy sticking a little out of his voice.

"What do you mean what he did?" She asked, knowing very well that Sam hadn't really done anything that night.

"He told me Andy. That he was the one to try and kiss you, and that you shut him down." He told her, leaving her speechless. He had told him what?

"When did he say that?" She asked in a low voice.

"The night of the prisoner transport. Anyway, it doesn't change anything…" He started, but Andy wasn't listening anymore, everything finding its place in her head like pieces of a big puzzle.

"It actually changes something, Luke. It changes everything. I was the one who went to see him, not the other way around." She said with a controlled voice.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his tone a little harsher than it was just a few seconds ago.

"I went to see him, on the night of the blackout. I needed someone, and he was there. I am the one who tried." She simply stated, wondering why Sam had told him that.

"Oh so now it'll be my fault?!" Luke said roughly.

"I never said that, Luke, I just…" She started, trying to explain herself before stopping again. "Actually, you know what? I don't have to explain myself. You weren't there then, and you're not here now." She said, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"What does that mean then?" Luke asked as Andy bit her lip, trying to keep her voice steady, knowing what she had to do.

"I just can't do this anymore." She finally said a few seconds later. "I'm sorry." She said.

"Yeah, me too…" He simply said before ending the call. Leaving her sitting alone in her room, tears silently running down her cheeks.

She quickly changed into her pajamas and slipped under the blankets, concentrating on the sound of the waves crashing on the beach just outside her window.

She couldn't understand why Sam had told Luke that it was his fault and not hers. That was also probably why Luke had decided to talk to her again that night. If he had known that it was her fault, he probably wouldn't have changed his mind.

Shaking her head, Andy turned to lie on her side. It was probably better for everyone that it had ended like that.

She deserved someone who would be there for her, she tried telling herself. "Someone like Sam." A little voice whispered in her head.

Pushing that voice away, Andy closed her eyes, trying to sleep. She had a big day tomorrow.

* * *

A knock on her door woke Andy up the next morning.

"Time to get up McNally." She heard Sam say through the closed door.

Groaning, she put her head under the pillow, wishing to go back to sleep, but she knew she had to get up. It was already past 9am and they had to take the pictures this morning, and then the rehearsal dinner that night.

Still wishing she could've slept more, she got up and quickly threw some clothes on before making her way down for breakfast. When she got to the dining room, almost everyone had finished their breakfast, but Traci was still there, drinking her coffee.

"Good morning." Andy said as she sat down next to her, grabbing one of the chocolate muffins from the tray in front of her.

"Hey, good morning. Did Luke ever call last night?" Her friend asked, setting down her coffee mug.

"Yeah…" Andy simply said, grimacing to her friend before taking a bit of her muffin. The sweet taste of chocolate warmed her inside and she pushed the little voice in her head telling her that it was bad to have chocolate in the morning.

"That bad, ey?" Traci said with a sympathetic look.

"Let's just say that I won't be waiting for him anymore…" Andy simply said, pouring herself some coffee before adding milk in the mug.

"What happened? Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked, wondering why she had suddenly decided to break it off.

"He brought the blackout incident up again." Andy started, taking a sip of her coffee before continuing. "Sam told him that he was the one who had made the move and that I had pushed him back."

"And I'm guessing you wanted to set the record straight?" Her friend guessed, raising an eyebrow.

"What was I supposed to do Trace? I just had to, and then I realized that he only took me back because of what Sam had said, and I just couldn't do it." She explained, shrugging. "At least now I'll stop waiting for him all the time."

"So what now? Are you gonna tell Sam?" Traci asked, finishing up her coffee before setting her mug down.

"Tell me what?" Sam asked, sitting next to McNally and stealing a bite of her muffin before eating it.

"Tell you that you can have your own muffin if you want one!" Andy said, slapping his hand that was going to take another piece of her breakfast.

"You shouldn't be eating chocolate anyway." He started, giving her a smile before he continued. "And I don't have time, I have to get dressed now." He said, getting up and walking towards the stairs.

Shaking her head, Andy quickly finished her muffin and coffee and went to get dressed too.

* * *

The picture taking didn't take too long for Andy since she wasn't a big part of the wedding, and she was back at the hotel a little after lunch.

The weather was super warm that day, and Andy decided that it was the perfect time for sunbathing on the beach. After putting her bathing suit on, she got out of her room and ran into Traci.

"Going sunbathing without me?!" Her friend asked her on a fake offended tone.

"Never. I was coming to get you." Andy told her with a wink.

"You better had been!" Traci said with a grin. "I'll put my bathing suit on and I'll join you in a minute."

"Okay." Andy said before going down the stairs.

Getting out by the front door, the young woman made her way to the beach. The sand was warm under her feet, sliding softly between her toes, tickling her sensitive skin. Walking a bit quicker to avoid the sand burning her feet, Andy got near the ocean and laid down the towel she had gotten from her room.

Taking off her jeans shorts and t-shirt, Andy laid down on the towel smiling. The sun was so warm on her skin, it totally felt like a summer day. The waves were rolling a few meters from her as the tide continued to go down.

Closing her eyes to get away from the sting of the sun, Andy breathed in deeply, taking in the salty smell of the ocean. There was no point in letting what happened with Luke ruin her weekend off, she tried telling herself. She was probably better without him anyway.

A few minutes later, her friend came and laid her towel next to hers.

"It is such a beautiful day." Traci said, turning her head towards Andy, smiling.

The young woman returned her smile and nodded. "It really is. It was definitely what I needed after a crazy week like that." Andy told her before turning back to the sun.

* * *

Andy was rubbing sunscreen on Traci's back when Sam and Jerry came down to the beach to join them.

"Hey ladies." Jerry said, stopping right beside them.

Sam was following right behind him, and he couldn't help but stare at Andy a little longer than he should have. After all he wasn't used to her wearing a bikini, and he had to say that it made quite a difference from her being in uniform.

She was wearing a white bikini top with light blue stripes and an all-white bottom. The light color was making her freckles stand out, probably brought on by the sun she had been taking in for a couple of hours now. She was so beautiful, Sam thought, trying to tear his gaze away from her.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Jerry asked, pointing at the waves. They were even bigger now than earlier, crashing over the sand with that typical wave noise.

"The water must be _freezing_." Traci replied, emphasizing on the word freezing as she look at the ocean.

"So now you're scared of a little cold water Nash?" Her boyfriend teased her, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Me? Scared? Hell no!" She replied, looking at McNally to be sure she was done with the sunscreen before she got up. "I'll race you to the water."

With that, Traci got up and started running to the water. Jerry quickly took off his shirt before following her, sand flying behind his feet as he rapidly caught up with her just as they reached the ocean.

"Traci, you didn't do my back!" Andy screamed to her friend as she realized that her back was still free of sunscreen.

"Just get Sam to do it." She heard her friend reply as she jumped over the first small waves.

Sighing, Andy turned to Sam with the sunscreen and a pleading look. He nodded and got closer to her. This was not what the young woman had planned; she had to say that the thought of having Sam's hands on her body right now was something quite troubling.

He knelt next to her before taking the tube of sunscreen from her hand.

"Thanks Sam, she was supposed to do it but I guess the ocean is more interesting." She told him with a small laugh.

"No problem. What about you McNally? Want to go play in the water?" He asked as he started to rub the sunscreen on the top of her back.

"Yeah, well as soon as we're done with the sunscreen we can go join them." Andy replied, trying not to show how much the warm hands of her partner were affecting her.

"Oh because you think I'm one to go swimming in freezing water?" Sam said, raising an eyebrow that Andy couldn't see.

"Why not? It can be fun." She told him as he continued to rub sunscreen on her, his hand on her lower back now.

"Yeah, sure." He scoffed, concentrating on his task.

Andy laughed, not trusting herself to talk as his hands continued caressing her lower back. The combination of warm hands, cold sunscreen and the occasional grain of sand scratching her skin was giving her goosebumps that she hoped her TO wouldn't see.

"There." He finally said, putting his right hand on her left shoulder as he turned around to face her. "All done."

"Thanks." She said, getting up and grabbing the hand that he had on her shoulder to make him get up too. "Now you're coming with me!"

"McNally…" He said, pulling on her hand to get up, but not even taking one step towards the water.

"Swarek…" She said, teasingly as she pulled a little harder on his hand.

Groaning, Sam finally let go of her hand to take his shirt off. "I'm gonna make you regret this McNally." He said with a huge grin.

Giggling like a child, the woman in question started running towards her friends that were already deep in the water. Sam was quickly behind her and as they got to the water he caught her in his arms, holding her up as she screamed and giggled some more. When they were in deeper water, he finally released his grip only to grab her under the knees and throw her in the water.

She emerged near her friends, shaking her head to get the water out of her eyes. "It's freezing!" She said looking at Sam.

"Well I told you so!" He said, jumping upwards as the next big wave made its way to them, going over Andy's head.

Concerned, Sam took a step towards her to make sure she was okay. She got out of the water with a huge smile and laughed some more.

"Yeah… But it is fun!" She said, turning towards the ocean so that she could see the next waves coming.

"I guess." Sam said with a smile. Playing in the waves wasn't his favorite activity, but looking at his partner in front of him almost made him change his mind.

She was right beside Traci, jumping every time a wave came, and letting herself being dragged by it for a few feet. The sight was making his heart swell. She was so beautiful, the sun was reflecting in her eyes, making them shine like diamonds, and her smile was just something else.

He loved the way that she could still get amazed by the small things in life. The way her smile lit up every part of her face. She looked happy like a child at the moment, and he couldn't help but smile too. He was still stunned at how she was still so young at heart even with the life she had lived growing up and the job she was doing now.

A few minutes later the guys decided to get out of the cold water, letting the two friends alone in the ocean as they got back to the towels that were still laying higher on the beach. Sam let himself drop on his, still watching Andy from afar.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" Jerry asked Sam, giving him an understanding look as his friend turned his head to look at him.

"Traci? Yes I guess she is." He simply replied as Jerry raised an eyebrow.

"No brother, Andy. You're looking at her like she's the 8th wonder of the world. Don't even try to deny it." He said, giving Sam an insistent look.

"Yeah, maybe, but she's with Callaghan anyway." He told Jerry, giving a quick glance to the two women who were still laughing. He knew that he had missed his chance with her and he just had to get over it.

"I'm not sure about that. Traci didn't tell me everything, but he's not coming here this weekend." His friend told him, making Sam's heart skip a beat.

"What do you mean he's not coming?" He asked Jerry, wondering if it was because of work or because of something else.

"I told you all I know. But from what I understand, it's more than just work that's keeping him away." He replied, not having time to say much more as the two young women were coming up their way.

Trying to push back the little voice in his head that was telling him he might still have a chance, Sam turned to grab McNally's towel before he got up. Andy was holding her arms around her, shivering as she walked and Sam took a few steps towards her.

He held up the towel and wrapped her in it as she got close to him. Making sure it was covering her, he rubbed her arms over the towel a few times, trying to warm her up as he could feel her trembling under his hands. He couldn't know that having him that close to her was making Andy shiver with something other than cold.

"Told you it was cold McNally." He said with a smile when he took a step back to sit on his towel again.

"Yeah. It was worth it though." She said, still looking at him with sparkling eyes.

Sam laughed before he laid down on his back, taking in the warm sun that was quickly drying the cold water off his skin. Soon, Andy put her towel down between Sam's and Traci's and laid down between her two friends, feeling way warmer already.

"This is just heavenly…" Andy whispered a few minutes later, sighing from contentment.

Sam nodded, sliding his hand to hers, squeezing it just for a couple of seconds before he took it back, crossing his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes.

"It definitely is." He replied on the same tone, smiling as he breathed in the deep salty smell, mixed with the sweeter one of the woman who was lying just beside him.

It was definitely heavenly.

* * *

 _ **That's it for tonight! I hope you liked it! (And I REALLY hope there weren't too many mistakes… I really need to find a backup proofreader!) Leave me a review if you liked it! I'm gonna try and get the next chapter up sometime this week!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey there everyone! Here is the third chapter, sorry for the delay, I was still having some proofreading issues! But here it is now, so I'll let you read it!**_

 _ **MANY THANKS to Vixenali who proofread it for me! :) Thanks a lot!**_

* * *

Lying in bed that night, Andy found herself staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Thoughts were bouncing in her head like little plastic balls. They weren't about anything in particular, they were just a mix of everything that happened in the last few weeks. Her breakup with Luke, the prisoner transport, not forgetting the short but intense make out session with Sam Swarek.

The dinner had been really fun, and she had gone back up to her room past 10pm, a little tipsy from the wine she had drank at dinner. Maybe it was the alcohol that was making her think that much, she knew her father had never been one to be a "happy drunk".

Sighing, Andy turned to her front, sliding both her arms under the pillow as she looked at the ocean through her bedroom window. It seemed so calm at this time of day. The waves were still rhythmically caressing the beach, but they somehow felt slower, calmer. The moon was almost full tonight and its reflection on the water was lighting up the sand hills in this gentle grey light, making everything seem almost unreal.

She wished her thoughts were as calm as the landscape out there, but she felt like a hurricane was going through her head at the moment. She had to say that most of this storm had been brought on by the amazing day she had spent today. Too amazing for someone who had just dumped her "perfect boyfriend" a little voice in her head kept telling her.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Andy got up and grabbed her shoes that were on the ground a few feet from the door. Not giving a second thought to the fact that she was still in PJs, she got out of the room, she needed some air.

As soon as she got outside she felt better, the cold salty air clearing her head from all the thoughts that had been bouncing around since she went to bed. Everything was so quiet and she walked for a few seconds before sitting down on the sand, her eyes getting lost in the waves that were reaching a little higher every time they hit the beach, the tide slowing rising up.

She couldn't help but smile as she remembered how much fun she had in those waves and on this beach. It wasn't often that she got to see Sam outside of work, and to see him in a bathing suit had made her warm in all kinds of places. Andy swore she could still feel his warm hands on her body as he put sunscreen on her back, wishing it would've taken him longer to do it.

That was one of the storms that were raging in her head. Brains versus heart. Because as much as the young woman wanted to be with Sam, she just felt like it was wrong to want him so soon after everything that had happened with Luke.

Shivering a little, she crossed her arms in front of her, putting them on her knees and resting her chin on them; it was a bit colder than she had expected, but it felt so good to be outside.

Noise on her left made her raise her head, turning to see who was still up at this late hour, realizing as soon as she saw him that it was Sam. He was wearing sweat pants and a sweater, carrying a blanket on his arm.

"Hey." He simply said as he got close to her, sliding the blanket over her shoulders, just as if he had read her mind about being cold. "Mind if I sit with you?" He asked, not sitting yet, waiting for her answer.

"No, go ahead." Andy answered him, pulling on the blanket's edges so that it was covering her completely.

Giving her a small smile, Sam sat next to her, so close that their shoulders were almost touching but not quite.

"I wasn't sure you'd want company, but I didn't want you freezing to death." He told her, giving her a side look. "It's hard to believe that hours ago we were in our swimming suits right?"

"Yeah tell me about it." Andy said, laughing a little as she remembered the warmth of the sun earlier that day.

They were both silent for a minute, eyes lost in the beauty of the ocean in front of them.

"I thought everyone would be sleeping by now." The young woman said, breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah. Well everyone is not sharing a room with Oliver." Sam said with a frown.

"I know, I could actually hear him snore when I walked past your room." Andy confessed, laughing softly.

"Hey, it's not funny when you're the one sleeping next to him." He said, looking at her with a fake angry look.

They both laughed and she bumped her shoulder with his, not backing up enough for them to separate, leaning against him almost imperceptibly.

"Anyway, I just saw you going out and wanted to be sure you were okay." He told her, his voice now more serious than it was earlier.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks…" She said, answering his unspoken question. "I just couldn't breathe inside, I needed some fresh air."

"If you need some space too I can go." Sam told her in a gentle tone, his voice not louder than a whisper as he looked at her in the eyes.

The depth of his big brown eyes almost made her lose it right there and then. They were so full of tenderness and genuine caring that she had to take a couple of seconds to answer, shaken with what she saw in them.

"No." She finally managed, putting her hand on his arm, squeezing it for an instant before she put it back under the blanket.

He nodded, not leaving her eyes as he gave her a small smile. She smiled back at him, still overwhelmed by everything she felt when he was near her.

"Luke and I broke up." She said out of the blue, turning back to the ocean as she spoke, not trusting herself much longer if he kept looking at her like that.

"I know, I'm sorry…" Sam replied, hoping that he wasn't the reason that they had broken up. The last thing he wanted was to make her sad.

"He told me something weird." Andy began, giving him a small glance before turning back to the water. "He said you told him that it was your fault, what happened the night of the blackout." She continued, not knowing if she wanted an explanation of a confirmation.

"I did." He simply answered.

"Why?" She asked him, looking at him with a questioning look. "You and I both know that's not what happened. I mean, I pretty much jumped on you that night." Andy scoffed, remembering how she was the one who had initiated the whole thing.

"I…" He started, stopping for a few seconds to collect his thoughts. "I don't really know, I figured out that he would be less mad at you if it was my fault and not yours. I just didn't like you being sad over this whole thing." He tried to explain, not really knowing himself why he had done it. He just knew that it broke his heart to see her sad.

Opening her mouth to say something, the young woman closed it back again. This was definitely not one of the answers she had been waiting for.

"You know what saddened me the most?" Andy asked in a low voice. "I thought I had lost you because of all this… And I don't wanna lose you. Sam…" She confessed, not looking at him to see how he was reacting.

He shivered when she said his name, his heart skipping a beat as he realized what she had just told him. Not really knowing what to say to this, he simply wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, tenderly pulling her closer. Not saying a word, she softly rested her head against his shoulder, sighing from contentment.

"You're never gonna lose me." He whispered in her hair as he held her a little tighter.

They just stayed like that, neither of them saying a word as they watched the ocean dance in the moonlight, the sound of the waves filling up the comfortable silence between them. It was only when the water came closer to Andy's feet that they decided it was time to go back.

Sam gave her his hand to help her get up, and she didn't let it go as they walked back to the hotel, none of them saying a word, not wanting to break the magic of the moment. As they reached her room, she gave him back his blanket, smiling.

"Thank you." She said. "For the blanket, and for being there."

"Always." He replied, letting go of her hand to grab the blanket.

Andy had her hand on the doorknob, but they both stayed there, staring at each other in the middle of the hallway. She had so much more to tell him, but it wasn't the time for that yet, she thought as she gave him a small smile, but one that was full of promises.

He took a step towards her, raising his hand up to push back a stray of hair from her face, sliding it behind her ear as he returned her smile. Leaning closer to her, he laid a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight… McNally." He said on a voice so low that it made her shiver.

"Goodnight." Andy replied, turning the handle and going inside the room, looking at him as long as she could before she closed the door, leaning her back against it.

She ran her hands on her face and in her hair, trying to breathe correctly. She didn't know what it was with him, but he had this way of making her go crazy every single time he touched her.

Even though she knew it was the best thing to do, that it was better that they stay alone tonight, Andy still felt the loss of his body in every part of herself.

Slowly, she walked back to her bed, trying to shake off the remaining grains of sand that were stuck on her plaid pajama pants before she got in.

As she pulled up the blanket under her chin and turned around to lie on her side, Andy smiled, her heart still beating faster than usual, but the storm raging in her head had calmed down. After all maybe she just had to let it all go and just go with her heart. And her heart had always wanted Sam Swarek…

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 _ **There you go! I really hope you liked it! The fourth and last chapter is 95% written now, so it should be up by tomorrow or Monday! Leave me a word to tell me if you liked it and if you want to read the last chapter!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey there everyone! Here is the final chapter of this story, I hoped you liked it so far and that you'll like this last chapter.**_

 _ **Again, thanks for Vixenali, and to Jamie for the proofreading :) You girls are great!**_

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Sam was on the other side of the room talking with Oliver when Andy decided to dance with Traci. His eyes couldn't help but to land on her and stay there. She was beautiful tonight. Well, she was beautiful every single night, but tonight was different.

She was wearing a beautiful but simple red dress and her hair was down on her shoulder. She was just absolutely gorgeous, but what made her ever more gorgeous was her smile. Sam's heart tightened with emotion as she sent him a beaming smile before turning back to Traci.

"You even listening to me brother?" Oliver asked, lowering his head to catch his eyes.

"What? Yeah yeah sure I was." Sam told him, raising back his head to look at his friend who raised an eyebrow, definitely doubting that he was.

"Why don't you go dance with her? I know you're dying to." He said to Sam, pointing to Andy who was clearly having a lot of fun.

"I don't dance you know that." Sam replied, giving a small look to the girls.

"Yeah, and you don't go sit on the beach to talk in the middle of the night now do you?" Oliver said, referring to the night before.

"How can you know that? You were snoring like a bear when I left!" He asked, wondering how he could've known that he was with Andy the night before.

"I know everything brother. I know everything." Oliver answered, winking.

"Yeah, well I just don't wanna move in too fast. She just broke up with Callaghan a couple of days ago." He said shrugging.

"Sammy, you guys have been dancing around each other for months now, there's nothing fast about it." His friend told him, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah…" Sam replied, not saying anything more as he turned to look at Andy.

She had taken his breath away when he saw her entering the church this afternoon, and he had to admit that he had been looking at her during almost all the ceremony. It's not like it wasn't interesting – it was beautiful – but he couldn't take his eyes away from her.

Just as he was thinking that the song ended as the DJ said he was going to put on a slower song now. The announcement had Oliver elbow him as he pointed to Andy walking back to her chair, Traci now dancing with Jerry.

"Go! Just go!" Oliver said in a tone that didn't leave much place for arguing.

Waving his hand in the air to make his friend stop talking Sam got up, walking around the dancefloor all the way to Andy.

"Wanna dance?" He said when he was finally next to her.

"Yes of course." The young woman replied with a smile that made his heart swell.

Sam took her hand and walked towards the dance floor. She slid her hands around his neck as he placed his on her waist, making her shiver from the intimate touch.

Traci gave her a smile over Jerry's shoulder and Andy smiled back at her before turning her attention to the man in front of her.

He was wearing a tux, and Andy had to say that it looked good on him. She was used to seeing him in his uniform, or in jeans and a t-shirt when they were at the penny, but she hadn't had any occasion to see him dressed in a tux.

"You look nice." She told him, moving just a little backward so that she could look at him more easily.

"Thanks, you're beautiful too." He said in a low voice, making her blush as he spoke.

Smiling, Andy moved closer, resting her head on his shoulder as they continued to slowly sway to the music. Everything around them had seemed to fade away, and it was like they were the only people in the room.

Everything felt so nice with Sam she thought. So perfect. Maybe she had been wrong all along and Luke was never the good guy. She just hoped that she wasn't too late and that she could still make things work with Sam.

"Wanna go outside?" Sam whispered in her ear, making her heart skip a beat as she nodded, not trusting herself to speak right now.

Taking her hand, he walked away from the dancefloor as the song ended, making his way to the door. The ceremony had been held in a little church in town, but the reception was only a couple of houses down the street from the inn they were staying at, and it was also on the beach.

Rolling his pants a bit, Sam took off his shoes and socks as Andy grabbed her white sandals, her feet slowly sinking in the sand that was still warm from the sun even if it was now hidden all the way down the mountains behind them. The beach was quiet with the exception of a few couples walking hand in hand.

The wind was colder now and Andy shivered a little as they walked closer to the water until the waves were reaching their feet. Sam took off his jacket, putting it on her shoulders, staying in only his dress shirt.

"Thank you." Andy told him, pulling the sides of it closer to her body as he put his arm around her shoulder, a warmth spreading to her body as much as from the jacket than from his arm.

"You're welcome." He said quietly as they walked on the beach, water coming up to their feet every time a bigger waves crashed on the shore.

It was crazy, Andy thought to herself. Crazy that during all that time, her good guy was just there, right under her eyes, and she had never realized it. Even with all the signs that were pointing to him.

After all, he was always the one. He was the one to help her on her first day, even if he didn't really want to. He was the one who taught her the basics, the one who was always there to help her, whether it was to lend her his truck, or to fix a witness's mom's sink. He was the one who was there the night she shot a guy… Sam had always been there, and she was just beginning to realize how blind she had been.

He was the one her heart had wanted for a long time, but she had convinced herself that he wasn't the good guy for her. She had convinced herself that she would be happy with Luke. She had to realize now that she had been wrong all along.

"I'm sorry you know…" She finally told him, breaking the silence that had been between them for a few minutes now.

"Sorry for what?" He asked, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, still holding her close to him as they walked.

"For being a jerk…" Andy scoffed, turning her eyes to the ocean.

"Why are you saying that?" Sam asked her with a puzzled look.

"Because… You were always there, and I wasn't very nice. I understand why you'd want to leave." She said softly.

He raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was talking about. "I heard about the guns and gangs spot. I know they want you back." Andy said in answer to his questioning look.

"I didn't take the spot Andy… I turned it down." He said, his fingers mindlessly caressing her arm over the jacket.

"Why? It's your life." She simply asked, turning her head to look at him.

"It's not anymore…" He started, looking at her in the eyes as he spoke. "And I know I'm probably gonna get my heart broken again, but I don't care."

"What do you mean your heart broken again?" She asked him as she stopped walking, waiting for his answer.

"That morning when Callaghan said he wanted to bring you to his cabin. I should've known better though. I had it coming." He said with a small laugh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know or else I wouldn't have…" She said but he interrupted her.

"I know Andy, I know." He told her, reaching to push a stray hair back behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek for a few seconds.

"I realize it now. You're the good guy." She whispered as his hand slid to her neck, playing with her small hair.

"I am?" He asked softly, looking at her eyes where the moonlight gleam was reflecting, making them shine.

"You always were. I just wish I had seen it earlier." She answered in the same tone, taking a small step in front of her to come closer to him.

"Well you know it now." He began, pulling her a little closer to him. "That's all that matters to me." He said with a smile that was full of something Andy couldn't quite decipher.

Not able to speak right now, the young woman just nodded, her eyes lost in the depth of those of her partner and friend. She felt a magnetic pull right now, every fiber of her body longing for him.

Leaning towards him, she rested her hands on his chest, looking at him with a look that had his heart beating faster and he couldn't help but wrap both his arms around her, holding her closer to him as she pushed herself on her toes, bringing their faces to the same level.

He was the one to close the gap, his nose softly brushing against hers before he gave her one last look, making sure that it was what she wanted. She nodded almost imperceptibly, her eyes closing slowly as he tenderly put his lips on hers.

The kiss was totally different from the ones they had shared the night of the blackout. Those ones had been intense and passionate, both of them clinging to the other like if there was no tomorrow.

The one they were sharing now was slow, tender and full of promises. Just like if they had been waiting for that kiss their whole lives, and the intimacy of this moment made Andy shiver, her heart so full she felt it was going to explode into a million shiny pieces.

Feeling her tremble, Sam held her closer to him, his embrace ever so gentle as he continued kissing her slowly, making the most of every instant he could have her in his arms.

When they finally backed out of the kiss, she rested her forehead against his, her eyes still closed as she took in everything she was feeling. This was what she had been looking for all her life. He was what she had been looking for all her life…

Sighing in contentment, Andy opened her eyes, looking at him. Sam was smiling too, his eyes sparkling as he raised his hand to caress her cheek. She leaned into his hand, not able to say anything as they just stood there.

A few seconds later he simply took her hand and started walking again. As Andy looked at the moon that was reflecting on the ocean, she thought to herself that she had everything she ever wanted.

They walked for a few more minutes before she just stopped, turning towards the ocean as Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Leaning her whole body against him, she just looked at the water.

Here, with the perfect man for her, just standing under the moonlight, she felt she was in her right place, and she knew that she always would as long as she was standing beside Sam… 

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_**There you go! All done! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, just press this nice review button one last time! :) I'll see you around!**_


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